Koda Energy Facts

Panels Released From a Fuel Storage Bin

July 8, 2014

Shakopee, Minn. – Today at 3:03 p.m., Koda Energy experienced an incident in which the pressure of smouldering biomass product caused panels to be released from a fuel storage bin. Koda Energy employees shut down the affected system and contained the incident to a small area. This incident occurred in the original part of the facility, not in the new part that opened earlier this year.

The facility’s fire protection system functioned as it was designed to do. Multiple fire departments responded to Koda Energy as a precautionary measure. They applied water to the storage bin to reduce the heat contained in the bin and eliminate the smouldering.

Koda Energy officials are preparing to restart the facility after temporarily shutting it down in response to the incident.

The incident caused minimal damage. All employees are safe and accounted for, and there is no danger to the public.

It is too early to speculate about the cause of the incident.

About Koda Energy
Koda Energy is a partnership between the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community and Rahr Corporation. It provides environmentally friendly biomass energy for Xcel Energy as well as Rahr Corporation, which uses the residual heat from electricity generation in its malting process. Koda Energy originally opened in May 2009 as one of the first facilities of its kind in the United States. The redesigned Koda Energy opened in February 2014.